If raggamuffin hip-hop never gets tired for you either, I’m happy to report that yet another juicy mix of fliptongue stylistics over dusty breaks and jeepbeat bass has come to my attention —
Originally cooked up in 2010 by one Matt Nelkin, and now re-upped with special edits for your DLing & DJing pleasure, “Boombap Riddims” pays tribute to more or less the very same moment in time that inspired my & Pace’s digging in the crateses for Cluster Mag.
Beyond enjoying soaking up the heavy ragga vibes, I was happily surprised to hear yet another instance of that ol’ zunguzung tune suddenly rear its head as Rev. Baddoo’s “Bop Scuche” comes into the mix. I can’t find complete discographical info on it (or a YouTube even), but it likely dates to around 1993 — definitely a hot moment for the riff, with echoes via Us3, K7, KRS-One, and Jamalski — and the production & distribution c/o none other than Bobby Konders & Massive B makes a lot of sense for yet another NYC-based vector for Yellowman’s viral chune.
Big up Mr.Nelkin on the tuff mix, and thx to anyone who can help me pin down the date of “Bop Scuche”!
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While I’m on topic, I also want to share a recording that seems rather illuminating for hearing Boogie Down Productions’ seminal ragga-rap in context. Listening to Colonel Mite’s “Bless the Selector,” recorded in London the same year that BDP were proclaiming the Bridge to be over and the P to be free (1986), I can’t help but be struck by the verbal / stylistic overlap. It’s pretty clear, to these ears anyway, that KRS was manipulating the very same repertory of dancehall gestures (“come inna a dance”) as his compatriots across the pond. In other words, BDP were essentially producing a NYC-tinged version of contemporary dancehall. But do tell if you disagree —
i don’t remember bop scuchie but the chorus is familiar and possibly not unique, shocking i know, love mi bible but nah lef mi gun. it is possible that as an earnest teenager, i dismissed anyone that called himself reverend and chatted about guns.
some searching:
bobby konders put out bop scuchie on lp in 1992: http://www.discogs.com/Various-New-York-Rude-Boys/release/1951216
It was also released on other singles and lps in 1994 http://www.ebay.com/itm/1994-Bobby-Konders-Bop-Scuchie-You-A-Bad-Boy-REVEREND-BADDO-JR-DEMUS-/360782232554?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item54004bfbea
I think you are interested in the place and time it was created and also the place in time it went boom and influenced others, so you might just twitter @bobbykonders and ask about it.
Thanks, Caleb! Guess ’93 was a good approximation, but looks like it’s ’92. Might be worth asking Mr.Konders himself. Could have come out earlier, maybe, but at least you found a record with a date. Be good to know more about its story, though, and how it fits into the Zunguzung legend.